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Holy vs. Common

Have you ever noticed that sometimes God puts valuable information in sometimes obscure parts of the Bible? That nuggets of wisdom are sometimes hiding in the shadows of other information? We’ll be lighting the shadows in today’s post and looking at Leviticus 10:8-11.

During the time God was giving the law to Moses He spoke to Aaron, his brother, once in a while too. In this portion of Scripture He tells Aaron and his sons to distinguish between holy and common. God uses the possibility of to much ‘wine or other fermented drink’ as an example of the kinds of worldly issues that can be brought into the arena of worship. Basically, He’s giving the First Commandment again…You shall have no other gods before Me!

I want us to particularly look at the idea of holy and common, and what that means in our walk with the Lord. Let’s start by defining the words:

Holy The Hebrew word is qodesh and means a holy or sacred thing or place. It refers to being sanctified which is being set apart for a specific purpose. The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as – exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness; devoted entirely to the deity or the work of the deity.

Common The Hebrew word is hol and means not holy, ordinary. Webster defines it as belonging to or being shared by two or more individuals or things or by all members of a group; falling below ordinary standards, second rate.

With the realization that these commands were given regarding the Holy Place and the use of it and its contents, there are a couple of concepts here that I think apply to my (and perhaps your) personal walk. First, what is God’s, is God’s. It is set aside for His purposes, it is holy. It does not become the object of our worship. What might this include? Objects, robes, vestments, furniture, art, buildings, and more that have been given/set aside for His use. I think sermons, music, lessons, VBS, Sunday School and many other activities of the church are also to be perceived as Holy.

What does it mean to distinguish between the holy and the common? A synonym for common is ordinary. He was telling the Priests to be aware of the ordinary invading the holy. He wanted His place of worship to be holy, sanctified, set aside (as different) from the ordinary. For me this means maintaining a worshipful atmosphere in the Church/Tabernacle/Cathedral that is all about God and not about the world around. It means the things of worship are for God.

So…..What is the focus of your/my worship? Are we bringing so much of the ordinary and common into the Temple that we no longer worship the One and Only? Have we made the environment of worship so sterile that there is nothing of God in His Temple? Does God even know the place is set aside for Him?

Heavenly Father I worship You! Give me the ability to use the Temple as You intended. Help me keep out the ordinary and embrace the Holy. Oh, Lord, You are the Great High Priest! Cause my worship to be all and totally about You. Make it so!

The picture at the beginning of this post and following are of the Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, OH. The first time I was there was with the Toledo Symphony Chorale in singing the Bruckner 9th Symphony w/voices. It took my breath away then and still does. God’s presence was so visible. I am in awe of what God allows man to do so He can be praised and worshiped Don’t get me wrong, I worship indoors, outdoors, and all the places in between, but I believe that are places that God has set aside from the ordinary to give us a glimpse of His great glory.

6 thoughts on “Holy vs. Common”

Thanks for the affirmation. I am in total agreement with your friend…I’d like to add – – Have we made worship so much about our comfort that we’ve forgotten that worship is about God? Keep on keeping on! Marie

Gripping words and pictures. It is very good how you’ve given us a better understanding of Holy by describing its antithesis, common. I often try to relate the term we are commanded to be with association to the Temple as you have. Should a frying pan have been set apart for Temple worship, it could never again be used to fry eggs back home. That was it’s ordinary use. It now has a higher calling. Really good explanation you give. On the matter of the Cathedrals, they are beautiful, and I can relate with my friend who says these words of our branch of the faith…
“Yes, I know we can become enamored by the symbols and loose sight of what is being symbolized…that is a snare throughout the Old Testament…well, throughout life…but…I often wonder, did we throw out the baby with the bath water?” Blessings.